Transactional SMS and promotional SMS belong to the same category bulk SMS.

However, they are used for different purposes.

What is Transactional SMS?

Transactional SMS is used to send order and booking notifications, financial alerts such as banking alerts, ATM transaction details, checkbook disbursal messages, account status, etc.

This type of messages can also be used to send confirmation messages such as airline booking, rail booking, courier booking, etc.

Transactional SMS can be sent to do not disturb numbers otherwise known as DND.

As per the telecom regulations, transactional SMS has the provision to reach any numbers, whether DND or non-DND, due to the nature of the messages delivered.

Transactional SMS Features:

• Transactional SMS is used for delivering service-related messages such as bank account transaction details, air, rail, or bus ticket booking details, e-commerce booking alerts, etc.
• Registered numbers are used to deliver these messages even if these numbers are under DND lists
• Confidential information is sent via transactional SMS from a dedicated transactional account

What is Promotional SMS?

Promotional SMS is a pure marketing and sales tool.

These messages are sent to your existing customers, new customers, and opted-in customers but not to the DND numbers.

These messages may not be solicited by the customers when compared to the transactional messages where the customers have a purpose to receive the messages.

Promotional messages are used in marketing campaigns, branding, to promote discounts and offers on your products, launching of new products, and advertise a service or product.

These are very effective for marketing especially if you are a new, or a start-up company.

Promotional SMS Features:

• Messages sent out to existing customers, or new customers promoting a product or service
• Promotional messages are used to brand your product
• They are not delivered to DND numbers; they are limited to non-DND numbers

Both transactional messages and promotional messages are useful to organizations based on their purpose of sending these messages.

While both service different categories, both have a rapid reach and high open-rate.